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Welcome to the second iteration of Vogue’s global spa guide, an index of the 100 best spas in the world, built from the expertise of our global editors and trusted contributors. There is a lot to choose from in the world of wellness, and no matter how far you’re planning to travel—from a subway ride to a trans-Atlantic flight—we want to make sure it’s worth the journey. Whatever your path, let us be your guide.
Why go here?
The Finger Lakes aren’t a common vacation destination for world-weary New Yorkers looking to unwind, but the Inns of Aurora Resort Spa make a strong case for why they should be. The village of Aurora, New York, (population under 300) is a storybook town, situated on the banks of Cayuga Lake, one the 11 crystalline Finger Lakes in the region. In the midst of a lavender- and alfalfa-dappled field, the Inns of Aurora Spa rises almost cathedral-like, with soaring ceilings and airy windows that offer panoramic lake views. Spa-goers can indulge in Ayurvedic-influenced treatments, saunas, steam rooms, and hot and cold soaking pools. An unexpected perk: The spa hosts a museum-quality modern art collection too, with pieces by Alex Katz, Chuck Close, Wayne Thiebaud, Helen Frankenthaler, and David Hockney.
What’s the vibe?
“The views really make this spa very special. You feel really connected to nature,” Laura Coburn, the spa director, told me. After one spa treatment, I counted more than 20 deer grazing in the distance. Moody rain clouds hung on the horizon, lightning zigzagged, and a storm rolled in over the lake. The spa offers hiking trails and outdoor activities for the more ambitiously inclined who actually want to connect with nature and not just observe it from a well-appointed Adirondack chair.
People visit Aurora from nearish cities like Toronto, Montreal, and Pittsburgh, but the hotel and spa have an East Coast bookish vibe too. “We do sit sort of in the middle of what I like to call a ‘brain trust,’” Coburn told me, referring to the hotel’s perch between several universities (Cornell, Syracuse, and the Rochester Institute of Technology).
The history?
The village of Aurora was settled after the Revolutionary War, and the Aurora Inn was built in 1833 by colonel E.B. Morgan, a native of Aurora and the cofounder of The New York Times. Many of the federalist and Victorian buildings in the town eventually fell into disrepair, that is until the town’s current-day benefactor, Pleasant T. Rowland—of American Girl dolls fame—stepped in. Rowland attended college in Aurora in the 1960s and fell in love with the town then. “The four years I spent at Wells College, in the tiny village of Aurora, changed me forever,” Rowland told Vogue in 2018. “First, of course, in the obvious ways that college changes everyone. But in another, deeper way, my heart was touched by the timeless remove of this place, far from the hustle and bustle.” After selling American Girl to Mattel for $700 million in 1998, Rowland began snatching up real estate in Aurora (leading to headlines like “American Girl Doll Founder Buys Up Real Human Town”). She purchased and renovated the six historic properties that make up the Inns of Aurora and bankrolled the construction of the spa, built by architecture firm Hart Howerton, in 2020.
What should you try?
The Red Flower Hammam Ritual is pure sensory indulgence. An adaptation of a traditional Turkish or Moroccan hammam, this cleansing, exfoliating massage ritual takes place in a serene spa room with a picture window overlooking a pond in a field. You lie on a heated massage bed; a fireplace also warms the room in cooler months. At first, you’re rubbed with an invigorating lemon-coffee scrub. Next, a jasmine rhassoul clay that heats upon touch is applied to your skin. After a hot shower with a mint-infused body wash, you’re misted with a soft quince spray, and massaged with tangerine- and cardamom-scented oil. The products are from the Red Flower line, and they smell delectable enough to eat. Use of the spa’s hydrotherapy circuits—steam and sauna rooms, and hot and cold plunge pools (122 degrees and 55 degrees, respectively)—before and after the ritual, are encouraged. The spa also offers facials, nail and hair care, reiki, and a variety of relaxing massages.
How environmentally friendly is it?
The Inns of Aurora is the first spa in the US to achieve a WELL Certification at the Gold level by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). Every aspect is considered, from the water management and linens, to the light pollution, air quality, and holistic products that are used.
What else do we need to know?
The Aurora Inn offers complimentary wine and cheese every day, lakeside by the fire, and there are many outdoor fire pits with heated benches as well. The food, overall, is light and delicious; think warm coconut miso or creamy tomato soup. Dinner at the Aurora Inn restaurant, called 1833, features the now cliché farm-to-table cuisine. But nestled amid the pastoral landscape, it’s not hard to believe that the journey of the ingredients is brief. MacKenzie-Childs homewares are also headquartered in Aurora, New York, so pick up a ceramic keepsake before you leave.
It’s less complicated to get there than you might think: Flights from JFK to Syracuse take just 45 minutes and the drive from Syracuse to Aurora takes about an hour. The Syracuse airport is tiny and convenient and the drive to Aurora is quite pretty.
Who can go?
The spa is for adults. People ages 16 and older may schedule spa services with an accompanying guardian. The Orchard Cottage, one of the Inns of Aurora’s six properties, can accommodate children under age 12.
Booking details for The Spa at the Inns of Aurora
Address: 700 Sherwood Rd, Aurora, NY 13026
Read more from Vogue’s Global Spa Guide.